1. Norman & Nancy Blake “Back Home in Sulphur Springs”
2. Caetano Veloso “Ce”
3. Lloyd Cole “Anti Depressant”
4. Max de Castro “Balanco Das Horas”
5. Frank Black “Fastman, Raiderman”
6. Matt Keating “Summer Tonight”
7. Jules Shear “Dreams Don’t Count”
8. Warren Zanes “People That I’m Wrong For”
9. Jane Birkin “Fictions”
10. Marisa Monte “Universo Ao Meu Redor”
11. Howe Gelb “Sno Angel Like You”
12. Chico Buarque “Carioca”
13. Drive-by Truckers “A Blessing and A Curse”
14. Guy Clark “Workbench Songs”
15. Cesaria Evora “Rogamar”
16. Ojos de Brujo “Techari”
17. Luke Haines “Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop”
18. Maximilian Hecker “I’ll Be A Virgin, I’ll Be A Mountain”
19. Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus Three “Ole Tarantula”
20. Cat Power “The Greatest”
21. Witch “Witch”
22. Tony Allen “No Lagos Shaking”
23. Hellwood “Chainsaw of Life”
24. Wanda Jackson “I Remember Elvis”
25. Damien Jurado “And Now That I’m In Your Shadow”
26. Kekele “Kinavana”
27. Tim Easton “Ammunition”
28. Pernice Brothers “Live a Little”
29. Mombojo “Homem Espuma”
30. Kris Kristofferson “This Old Road”
31. Macaco “Entre Raices y Antenas”
32. Micah P. Hinson & the Opera Circuit
33. Willie Nile “Streets of New York”
34. And You’ll Know Us By the Trail of the Dead “So Divided”
35. Lila Downs “La Cantina”
36. Cheikh Lo “Lamp Fall
37. Radio Birdman “Zeno Beach”
38. David Bazan “Fewer Moving Parts”
39. Marisa Monte “Infinito Particular”
40. Johnny Dowd “Cruel Words”
41. Jair Olivera “Simples”
42. Gob Iron “Death Songs for the Living”
43. Irma Thomas “After the Rain”
44. Scott Walker “The Drift”
45. Candi Staton “His Hands”
46. The Lemonheads S/T
47. Arnaldo Antunes “Qualquer”
48. Lucas Santtana & Selecao Natural
49. Espers II
50. Tommy Keene “Crashing the Ether”

Garbage.

Big ups and thanks though for that Norman and Nancy Blake record; it actually probably ranks somewhere in the 20's for me but its something i would have likely never heard otherwise

Lila Downs!

There's actually a few surprises there. I thought Bazan and Espers would be much higher for you, since I remember you talking up both records. I really need to check out that Guy Clark record.

You know, I feel like I could almost get into this album if it wasn't for that one song with the "pee-pee soaked trousers" line. Well, that and a bunch of other things. Some of the music on it is really outstanding, though.

Quite a list there. I've heard almost nothing on it.

most of this i haven't heard and a good chunk i haven't heard of. billy g wins the obscure indie hipster award.

I need to check out that Howe Gelb album

When I was sorting through stuff trying to come up with 20 for the year, I pulled out the Norman & Nancy disk and the copyright said 2005. Since I couldn't remember exactly when I bought it, I shelved it assuming it was late last year. Now, I guess I was wrong, again. Would have easily made top 5 for me.

Good to hear. AMG lists it as 1/31/06. That sounds right. I got my copy the last week in Dec. 05 but it was a used copy of a promo. I see in looking that up that he has a new one coming out next month.



I can't tell whether the exclamation mark is surprise, agreement, or disagreement.



I know I've talked up Espers as a group. Don't think I've said much about this album. I don't like it as much as the others. Bazan I like, but this is a deep year. I think I had it towards the tail end of the top 20 in a previous list. I've been catching up on 2006 the past two months though and that and others sank as I heard more and gave more listens to other things. All of these are things I like and think will get spins beyond this year. Yeah, I think I'll still be listening to 50 rekkids from this year in future years where its usually about 15 things that have legs for me out of any given year. That's a large part of why I say I think this is the strongest year for new music since 1991. I didn't bother to rank things I dislike, don't like much or just think will disappear into my collection.

I realized after the fact that i forgot Built to Spill. That should be somewhere in the mid 40's i guess. I'd just as soon leave Tommy Keene and the other late 40 picks on the list though since no one else will probably recognize them. Anyways, this is a very tentative list. I still have a handful of things on order which if they arrive in time could change things.




It doesn't surprise me in the least that this isn't your thing, but its not garbage.

I haven't really listened to it enough to decide exactly how much i like it. I'm a fan of his in general, and was prepared at first listen not to like this based on the mixed reviews but I do. If I think if anything on the list has the potential to make a big move up the list or off it, its this one. He takes a lot of listens to really digest and at the same time is not someone I feel inclined to listen to frequently. I really don't know whether it will be top 10 2 years from now or below 50. I thought i'd throw it on the list towards the end out of respect because I need to make the list now not then.

I'll try and fix that this weekend. I may forget, though.

re: The Drift

It's a very difficult listen and not at all fun. I can see how what he does with his voice can be really irritating (on "The Escape" for instance, the psychotic Donald Duck ending), but I see it as Walker daring to envelop the listener in his psyche. The key being inside his psyche instead of a pretentious shoving outward. Some people think it's still pretentious, but I see it as very complicated experiment in id-howling that I'll probably only play a few times a year.

I meant Lila Downs is a great artist (a friend met her on the street in Oaxaca city and said she is a great drunk too). I didn't even know she had anything out new this year.

Gelb's is just classic great music and songwriting... great choice.

I got that cat power disc for my mom for christmas having read some positive reviews, and I ripped it for myself after hearing it yesterday...very good stuff.

Man, I forgot all about that Witch album. It'll skirt my top 20.